If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text HOME to 741-741 for a free, confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, text or call 988.

Ask The Experts

I Chose the Wrong College

What_is_ocd_2014

I just started my freshman year, and I feel like I chose the wrong college. I don’t know how to tell my parents, or how I could transfer since they were so excited about me going here. Something about this school is really depressing me, and I’m not usually a depressed person. Maybe I should just stick it out. Who should I talk to first?

Chaim Nissel, Psy.D., Director of the Counseling Center and Suicide Prevention Coordinator at Yeshiva University answers:

I’m sorry that your college experience is thus far not what you were hoping for. You’ve identified “something about this school” making you depressed but don’t specify if it is the classes, the social life, or something else. It may be that you didn’t even want to go to that school, but are there for some other reason, perhaps because of your parents’ wishes. First off, you should know that you do not have to decide right now whether to stay at this school for the semester, the year or your whole college career. You could give it some more time and see whether things improve for you. A good place to start talking about this would be the Counseling Center. Most college counseling centers are free and by meeting with a counselor, you will come to better understand why you are feeling depressed. The counselor will probably not answer whether you should stay or leave, but they could be really helpful in coaching you how to speak to your parents about this and how you can determine your next move. You might find that after speaking to your parents- they will say that your happiness is more important to them than you being in that particular college.

Wishing you the best of luck moving forward.